How do almonds impact your gut health?
Here’s everything you need to know about this new study:
Study Participants:
The study comprised healthy adult volunteers (75 females, 12 males), average age 27.5 years, who were regular snackers, and who were consuming a typical diet that was lower in fiber than recommended.
Study Design:
Participants were randomly assigned to a group, each comprising 29 participants; group one received 56 g/day (about 2 oz./day) of whole almonds, group two 56 g/day (about 2 oz./day) of ground almonds (almond flour), and the control group ate energy-matched snack muffins (two per day). Participants were required to eat their study snacks instead of customary snacks, and they did this twice a day for four weeks. They drank at least 100 mL water with each snack.
Study Results:
The study found that participants who consumed whole and ground almonds experienced significant increases in butyrate as well as increased stool frequency. Almonds were well tolerated and did not lead to gastrointestinal symptoms, which indicates almond consumption may be a way to increase fiber without causing any adverse effects. This is suggestive of positive alterations to microbiota functionality.
Limitations:
Limitations of this study are seen in both the sex distribution of volunteers, where more than 86% were female, as well as in age. Average age of participants was 27.5 years. The researchers recognize their findings are not necessarily generalizable to males or to older populations.